As a tow pilot, you will find that each sailplane pilot has their own style and way of moving.so each tow session is like dancing with a collection of partners. What you want are large flat turns with the sailplane keeping its wings level and sliding around the turn like a water skier behind a tow boat.Īerotowing is like ballroom dancing, the partners need to flow along coordinating their movements one with the other. When the tow plane levels out and begins to climb again, the tow line will quickly tighten up and then you get the slingshot effect and send the sailplane rocketing past the tow plane! At this point, the sailplane will over fly the tow line and it will go slack. When the tow plane banks, the wings produce less lift and you can quickly find yourself in a diving turn. As Scot mentioned, you really want to avoid banking (especially steeply banking) turns. It seemed that your tow plane started a slightly downward flight path in your turns. The sailplane can quickly pick up speed and over fly the tow line in level or slightly downward flight on the part of the tow plane. Next, the tow plane needs to maintain a climbing atitude. What you absolutely don't want is the tow line pulling down over the stab and putting pressure on the tow planes elevator.watch your video, this happened briefly at one point of a tow. Sailplane pilot usually needs to keep just slight finger pressure on up elevator to stay in the correct high tow position. BUT, not too high.you will find that there is a sweet spot whete both sailplane and tow plane are happy. Enough that the tow line would clear the top of the fins with any side to side movement of the sailplane. The tow line should be angle upward from the tow hook. I noticed that the tow line was almost straight back much of the time. Typically, the sailplane needs to be higher than the tow plane (relative to the flight path). Keep trying, and have fun!! It is a blast for both pilots!įirst, congratulations on the new plane and the success with aerotowing so far!Īfter watching your video several times, here are a few thoughts and observations. The tow plane will never outrun the glider in a diving tow, if the glider is catching up, the only way to slow the glider down is to initiate a climb, the glider will only accelerate in a dive, it will slow in a climb. The tow plane is almost just a 3 channel aircraft of rudder, elevator and throttle when a glider is on tow. The last thing you will do with a tow pane while the glider is on tow will be to bank with aileron and pull it around the corner with elevator. There is not a lot of aileron input when towing.
Big, low bank angle turns by the tow plane can only be accomplished by using rudder. Let the tow plane haul the glider around the turn, the opposite aileron is needed because of the roll that will be generated by the yawing of the glider as it is pulled through the turn.
This is often done with aileron opposite to the direction of turn. The glider pilot should just work to keep the wings level. It seems like you have plenty of power for the size and weight of glider you are towing, so more climb in the turns should help also.
I was taught that towing is all about the rudder and big gentle turns.